British established their Penal settlement in Port Blair in 1858 and commissioned the construction of a jail and they came up with Viper Chain Gang Jail. Before the Cellular Jail was constructed, Viper Island encountered the distress and agony of the freedom fighters. This red ruin is iconic and was constructed in 1867. Similar to the Cellular Jail, this too had individual cells. The reason behind the rechristening of this structure is because some prisoners here were tied with chains and their legs were squashed with coupling irons. None of the prisoners were granted mercy, not even the revered personalities; like Brij Kishor Singh Deo (Puri’s Maharaja) who lost his life here. Today, this two storeyed building is in a dilapidated form and is a home to local birds and squirrels. But its aura continues to haunt its visitors.
The Viper jail is located near Port Blair’s Harbor and can be reached in 20 minutes from Pheonix Bay Jetty.
